It’s OK to Live the Live You Want

It is OK to live the life you want. And it is OK to say “no” to everything else. It is OK to live a calm life, a life free from trying to live up to someone else’s idea of how your life should look. Are you striving to love God with all your heartContinue reading “It’s OK to Live the Live You Want”

Why Church Matters- Part 1

Today was Sunday, and like so many other Sundays I spent my morning thinking about and preparing for church. I have been to church almost every Sunday of my life. Some of the seats I’ve sat in, I’ve loved. Some, not so much. I’ve been to Catholic services, to liturgical Baptist Churches on the EastContinue reading “Why Church Matters- Part 1”

How to Treat Abusers With Love And Honor Even When They Don’t Change

Deep breath. I see you. I see the hurt and the scars and the longing for wholeness. I see those tears and all those nights you spent with something cold and metal against your skin hoping that any sort of release would help the hurting pain escape. God sees you. He sees you deep deepContinue reading “How to Treat Abusers With Love And Honor Even When They Don’t Change”

Fear is the Final Defense Tactic Against God’s Goodness

Every single good and worthy thing I have ever done has been preceded by fear. A lot of fear. Fear is a tool used by Satan to debilitate. It is his last ditch defense against God’s will for us, against God’s blessings, against injustice being addressed. And the lie is that we have to waitContinue reading “Fear is the Final Defense Tactic Against God’s Goodness”

12 Things That Happen When You Stop Trying to Please Toxic People

The past year has been a journey toward Living Well and of learning firsthand that emotional healing doesn’t always come easily. Sometimes, the people who are supposed to love us most, end up causing us indescribable pain and repeated heartache.

From Victim to Healed: The Journey of Lament

No matter your story, no matter the type of abuse or level of abuse you might have endured, all sin wounds. And simply because all sin wounds, there is grief in the world. Here it is: the truth about pain: it must be grieved before it can be gone. Brokenness doesn’t go away. It mustContinue reading “From Victim to Healed: The Journey of Lament”

6 Thoughts on Young Shooters

It’s been a few days since the school shooting in Florida. The images are heart-wrenching. And honestly, I’ve barely followed the story. But I can feel the heaviness in the air and the weight of all the choices made that day and how they still linger. A lot of people have a lot of opinionsContinue reading “6 Thoughts on Young Shooters”

5 Lessons I Wish I Hadn’t Learned About Abusive People

Life is full of lessons. Some lessons change you for the better. Some…some you wish you’d never learned. These are the hardest moments in life. These are the moments that teach you to cling to our Heavenly Father in ways you never knew you could. 1. The people you love the most, will hurt youContinue reading “5 Lessons I Wish I Hadn’t Learned About Abusive People”

What The Past Decade Has Taught Me

When I turned 20 I couldn’t imagine myself at 30. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure I would survive the next ten years: depression was so dense around me. I knew God was good and there, but I just couldn’t seem to reach him. Like he was an ever-moving target…and there always seemed to be aContinue reading “What The Past Decade Has Taught Me”

Finding a Life You Love

Several years ago, I read this quote, “It’s ok to live a calm life.” I loved those words so much that I typed them up and printed them out and placed them in a frame, and there they lived for the next three years, on the wall beside my bookshelves. I never once moved thatContinue reading “Finding a Life You Love”